This invention relates generally to a fishing lure. In particular, the present invention relates to a fishing lure with a cupped tail.
Fish senses vary from species to species. The extent that fish rely on sight, sound, or smell varies according to the environment the species is generally found in. Catfish and other bottom feeders that are often found in murky water rely heavily on smell to catch prey. Trout and other cold water fish are able to use an acute sense of sight. Because water is such a good conductor of sound, however, almost all fish rely on a sense of hearing. Some fish (including bass) have true ears. These organs are much like human ears. Although there is no ear opening, the soft tissues of the fish body transmit the sound to a bony structure (otolith) that vibrates against a series of sensing hairs. These hairs then send the auditory information to the fish's brain.
While some fish have true ears as described above, all species of fish have sensory organs called lateral lines. These lateral lines run along the sides of the fish and can detect extremely low frequencies. These low-frequency vibrations include the footsteps of a fisherman on shore and the back and forth motions of a fish tail in the water.
Soft plastic lures have been designed in the past having unique tail sections that cause the lures to move back and forth through the water unpredictably. A few lures also generate pressure waves to attract fish. U.S. Pat. No. 6,393,755 discloses a flexible life-like fishing lure having an opening in its main body member and/or appendages to impart movement to the lure. The openings deflect water as the lure is moved, generating hydrodynamic pressure waves that help attract fish. U.S. Pat. App. No. 20020194770 discloses a fishing lure with detachable appendages to create different vibrations and movements through the water.
While assumably effective for their intended purposes, none of the above proposals provide a fishing lure with a cupped tail member that moves between concave and convex configurations to create low frequency pulses. A fishing lure according to the present invention includes a flexible elongate body member, a cupped tail member attached to one end of the body member, and rib members connecting the body member to an inner surface of the cupped tail member. The cupped tail member is biased toward the concave configuration due to the presence of the rib members and the material used to construct the fishing lure. The cupped tail member creates sound waves by moving between concave and convex configurations, and it also slows the fishing lure's movement through the water. Scent and color schemes are added to the fishing lure for various purposes, such as to attract fish or to distinguish the present invention from other lures in a fisherman's tackle box.
Therefore, a general object of this invention is to provide a fishing lure that attracts fish with low frequency pulses.
Another object of this invention is to provide a fishing lure, as aforesaid, that attracts fish with its movement through water.
Still another object of this invention is to provide a fishing lure, as aforesaid, that attracts fish with its shape.
Yet another object of this invention is to provide a fishing lure, as aforesaid, that attracts fish with its scent.
A further object of this invention is to provide a fishing lure, as aforesaid, that is easy and inexpensive to manufacture.
Other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein is set forth by way of illustration and example, embodiments of this invention.